Silvio Sanchez - Nicaragua

Region: Nueva Segovia

Altitude: 1500 masl

Process: Natural

Varietal: Catuai

We taste: Strawberry, Milk Chocolate, Black Cherry

Silvio Sanchez and Finca Santa Teresa de Mogoton

Producer Silvio Sanchez came to coffee farming through studying agronomy. His mother loved coffee and so the two of them saved their money, took out a loan, and purchased a piece of land well-suited to growing coffee in the La Union, San Fernando region of the Nueva Segovia department in Nicaragua.

Santa Teresa de Mogoton is a relatively remote farm, accessible by a single road that leads to a handful of farms. The farm is beyond the reach of cell phone service and the deep trenches along the sides of the road from heavy rainfall challenge even well-equipped 4×4 trucks. The farm was named after Silvio’s grandmother, Teresa, and the remote hill it’s located on is called “Mogotón”.

Dense pine forests and interplanted pine trees provide shade for coffee, casting dark shadows of the deep green leaves of the coffee trees, giving Santa Teresa de Mogoton a quiet, spectral atmosphere. The farm is expertly organized, a testament to Silvio’s training as an agronomist, and the neat rows of young trees have given several successful harvests. The farm is 10 hectares and cultivates Catimor and Java varieties in addition to the Catuai selected for this lot.

The Natural Process

The Natural Process is a way of drying coffee cherries without using water to remove the fruit from the bean. It is the oldest method of processing coffee and is often used in regions where there are dry seasons. Natural processed beans are floated in water and the ripe cherries are sorted from the underripe cherries to ensure peak quality. The ripe cherries are then dried on raised beds in the sun and rotated in order to ensure they are dried evenly. The natural process allows the coffee beans to spend more time with the fruit which often results in more fruit-forward and juicy flavors in the cup.

In the Cup

This is the perfect cup to compliment our journey out of a long winter. When hot, this coffee has a wonderful sweetness that reminds us of chocolate covered strawberries. As it cools, the bright cherry acidity sings through, the mouthfeel becomes more sparkling and the bright red fruit flavors become more present. Overall, this is a perfect coffee to wake up your taste buds in the morning.